Why Bareilly, A Safe UP Seat, Has Opened An 'Opportunity' For INDIA Bloc

As the BJP looks to expand its seat tally in Uttar Pradesh, the party appears to have hit choppy waters over its nominee in Bareilly. The party has fielded former MLA Chhatrapal Singh Gangwar over the sitting MP Santosh Gangwar. While Santosh Gangwar has publicly stated that he respects the party's decision and will ensure the victory of the party's candidate from the seat, the decision has reportedly angered the veteran leader's supporters, who enjoy a sizeable influence in the region.

Bareilly is considered a safe seat for the BJP. A former Union Minister, Gangwar has been winning from Bareilly since 1989, with the sole exception of 2009 when the constituency voted for the Congress.

This time, however, the party dropped the veteran leader and decided to Chhatrapal Singh Gangwar, 68, reportedly due to internal differences in the party unit. The decision to drop the 75-year-old has angered the Gangwars, a farming community that has over three lakh votes in Bareilly.

Chhatrapal Singh is viewed as an "outsider" even though he is from Bareilly district and belongs to the same Other Backward Class (OBC) Kurmi community as Santosh Gangwar.

"There's no infighting in our party, and all our karyakartas and booth-level workers are working unitedly. The Congress, meanwhile, is still struggling to select its candidates," Chhatrapal Singh Gangwar told PTI.

The emergence of an audio clip, where Bareilly Mayor Umesh Gautam, who was one of the ticket aspirants, was heard talking about targeting Santosh Gangwar has escalated the crisis in the party, according to the Indian Express.

Gautam, however, has said that he has nothing against the sitting MP.

The audio has angered Gangwar's supporters. Earlier this month, state BJP president Bhupendra Chaudhary was gheraoed Gangwar's supporters who demanded the Mayor be sacked.

"I have nothing to say about the mayor’s comments. I respect the party’s decision (to deny him the ticket) and I am doing my best to ensure victory. I am concerned only about that at this stage," Gangwar told The Indian Express.

Chhatrapal Gangwar Faces Direct Contest With Samajwadi Party
The Bareilly seat will witness a direct contest between the BJP and the Samajwadi Party this time. The Bahujan Samaj Party is out of the contest after the papers of its candidate was rejected during scrutiny. The SP nominee, Praveen Singh Aron, had won in 2009 on a Congress ticket.